BlogGitHub Webhooks

How to Test GitHub Webhooks

GitHub webhooks notify your server when certain events happen in a repository, organization, or GitHub App.

GitHub Official Webhook Docs

1. GitHub Webhook Events

GitHub can send the following webhook events to your endpoint:

push
pull_request
pull_request_review
issues
issue_comment
release
workflow_run
check_suite
deployment
star

2. Set Up a Test Endpoint with HookRay

Follow these steps to start receiving GitHub webhooks for testing:

  1. Go to HookRay and click "Start Testing — Free" to get your unique webhook URL.
  2. Copy the URL (e.g., https://h.hookray.com/abc123).
  3. In your GitHub dashboard, navigate to the webhook settings and paste the HookRay URL as your endpoint.
  4. Select the events you want to receive (see list above).
  5. Trigger a test event — HookRay will show the incoming webhook in real-time.

3. Sample GitHub Webhook Payload

Here's an example of what a GitHub webhook payload looks like:

payload.json
{
  "action": "opened",
  "pull_request": {
    "number": 42,
    "title": "Fix authentication bug",
    "user": {
      "login": "developer"
    },
    "head": {
      "ref": "fix/auth-bug"
    },
    "base": {
      "ref": "main"
    }
  },
  "repository": {
    "full_name": "org/repo"
  }
}

4. Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Webhook not arriving?

Check that your endpoint URL is correct and publicly accessible. GitHub cannot reach localhost URLs — use HookRay's cloud URL instead.

Getting 400 or 500 errors?

HookRay accepts any payload and returns 200 OK by default, so the issue is likely on GitHub's side. Check your webhook configuration and event selection.

Need to verify webhook signatures?

GitHub signs webhook requests for security. Use HookRay to capture the raw headers and body, then implement signature verification in your application code.

5. Next Steps

  • Use HookRay's webhook replay feature to re-send captured webhooks while building your handler
  • Enable smart parsing (Pro plan) to see GitHub-specific fields highlighted automatically
  • Check the GitHub webhook documentation for the complete event reference

Ready to test GitHub webhooks?

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